(ANS – Chimpay) – Thousands of pilgrims from different parts of the country came to the birthplace of Ceferino Namuncurá to touch his poncho, make a request, and give thanks. The simple faith of the people was on display this weekend.

After the celebration of Mass on the Blessed’s liturgical memorial day, commemorating the 139th anniversary of his birth, the 55th pilgrimage of faith to Chimpay began on Tuesday, August 26. The activity continued from Friday, the 29th, with the arrival of the first cyclists and riders, until Sunday, August 31, under the motto “With Ceferino we walk together, pilgrims of hope.” This year, the celebrations took place in the context of the Jubilee of Hope and the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the first Salesian missionary expedition to Argentina, sent by Don Bosco himself in 1875.

The cultural and recreational activities began on Saturday, the 30th. On that day, pilgrims arrived by bicycle, on horseback, in a caravan of cars, and on foot. People came from various places in Patagonia, and many arrived from the north of the country and from Buenos Aires.

The bad weather did not deter the pilgrims. Throughout the weekend, they visited the chapel that houses the wood-carved image of the Mapuche Blessed, which is covered with ponchos left as offerings throughout the year.

At the end of the day, a youth adoration animated by the young people of the diocese of Viedma took place in the sanctuary of the Ceferinian Park.

On Sunday, August 31st, at dawn, the rain stopped, and the Mapuche prayer took place on the hill of the Cruz del Quinto Centenario. Then, at the foot of the hill, the blessing of the fire was given, as the roadside began to fill with pilgrims. At 9 a.m., the crowd began its pilgrimage towards Ceferinio Park, where it arrived after walking just over four kilometres in two hours. At 11 a.m., the Mass began at an altar set up in the open air, next to the chapel.

The celebration was presided over by Archbishop Marcelo Colombo, the Archbishop of Mendoza and President of the Argentinean Bishops’ Conference, and was concelebrated by Bishops Esteban Laxague SDB (Viedma) and Juan Carlos Ares (San Carlos de Bariloche), as well as priests from various parts of the region and the country. Among those concelebrating were the parish priest of Chimpay, Fr. Antonio Sánchez Lara, SDB, and the postulator of Ceferino Namuncurá’s cause for canonisation, Fr. Pedro Narambuena, SDB.

Among the pilgrims were the governor of the province of Río Negro, Alberto Weretilneck, and the mayor of Chimpay, Gustavo Sepúlveda. In his homily, the Archbishop of Mendoza said: “Remembering Ceferino, we cannot forget his desire to serve his people. This decision led him to travel to distant lands, first to Buenos Aires for his Initial Formation, and then to Rome to recover from the ills that compromised and limited his health.”

And regarding the lily of Patagonia, he said: “In the face of so many individualistic projects, full of boundless aspirations and which take little account of the value of others and the willingness to help and support the most needy and fragile, Ceferino’s awareness of being useful to his people inspires us. Volunteer work, catechetical services in neighborhoods and parish communities, the concrete charity of Caritas Argentina in its widespread presence throughout the length and breadth of the country, are expressions of that “being useful to the people” that guided the life of that little aborigine who fell in love with Christ and wanted to live his dedication to the service of the Lord and his people.”

“In the Argentinean Church, Ceferino is the patron saint of the pastoral care of addiction,” the archbishop pointed out. “His identification with Jesus invites us to accompany all efforts to care for the threatened lives of so many drug-addicted brothers and sisters who wish to get out of their situation. A purely police-focused and judicial view of the problem of addiction leaves us without the tools to deal with this scourge that leaves generations of young people in frustration and meaninglessness of life, as well as endangering their health and that of their families.”

At the end, Bishop Laxague gave two ponchos to some pilgrims as a symbolic gift. The first went to Father Luis García, parish priest of Viedma Cathedral, who accompanies the Hogares de Cristo of the capital of the province of Río Negro. The second went to Bishop Ares, who came to Chimpay with a group of young pilgrims from San Carlos de Bariloche.

Despite the cold, wind and rain, hundreds of people passed by the Ceferino Park to greet the blessed Mapuche, touching the wooden sculpture and caressing his poncho. Once again, Chimpay witnessed the simple faith of the people.